I might have read quit a bit of Uber Xena fan fiction, but I’ve never actually watched an episode of the TV-series or read a classic Xena fic, so I guess I’m not the best choice when it comes to reviewing an uber with tie-in to – what I deem to be – the classic Xena Universe, but by request I’ll give you my thoughts on “Languedoc” by Angharad Governal. If you have knowledge of the Xena Universe, and would like to add to or correct this review please feel free to post a comment.
Languedoc is a former province of France situated in the south, originally a territory independent from the French kingdom. If we can trust Angharad Governal, Languedoc was conquered by the French in 1226 AD, even though the female knight N’Alexandra and her partner the troubadour and noble woman Na Gabrielle did their best to defend the territory.
The story of Na Gabrielle and her knight is uncovered by Brangein Gwenhwyfar or Gwen for short and Sister Augustine at St. Marie d’Ormarc Abbey in France, while Gwen does research at the Abbey library for her PhD in medieval French literature. A research that uncovers not only the history of Languedoc, but also until now unknown tales of Xena, and opens Sister Augustine’s eyes to what she turned her back upon when taking her vows.
This is a story with a little bit of everything – hints to the classic Xena storyline (I think), a bit of a medieval romance of knights and noble women, and a modern day tale of finding love in the most unlikely place, but somehow none of all these layers of the story seems to be explored fully. On the other hand I’ll say that even if we do a fair bit of jumping back and forth in time and between storylines in “Languedoc” the story is well woven together.
All in all this story didn’t really catch my interest, but I’m not sure that I’m the best judge of the quality of the story, as I’m normally not inclined to read medieval romance, drama or classic Xena stories – so please let your fellow readers know if this story has qualities that I’ve overlooked.
Just to prove my self wrong – I’ll mention a couple of fan fic’s with a medieval theme that I’ve come across even if they are not among my bookmarked fic’s – you might like them “Second Son” by A. K. Naten, and “Eagle’s Reach” by an unknown writer.
I'm curious – why would you read and review a story in several genre you dislike (medieval romance, drama or classic Xena stories) in a fandom you aren't familiar with (quote – I’ve never actually watched an episode of the TV-series or read a classic Xena fic – end quote) and expect to understand or enjoy it.
To me that seems kind of defeating the object of reviewing fan fiction – you know that whole "fan£ thing.
I came into the universe of "fan" fiction a couple of years ago by accident, when I was browsing for information on my favourite lesfic authors. I found that the uber universe had a lot of entertaining fic's with a lesfic like theme – and I got stuck! So you could say that I'm not her for the "fan" part but rather for the lesfic theme.
I'm quite sure that I miss out on certain elements of a storyline in the uber fic's that I read due to my lack of knowledge of the relevant canon, but I hope that you'll chip in with a comment if you find my reviews lacking or disagree with me on the quality of a story.
As for the review of "Languedoc" – well someone requested a review and as I seem to be the only one willing to write a review at the time – I took up the challenge even it's a bit different from what I usually read. If you think that I misjudged the story please leave a comment.